3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. 4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a have burden, they are too heavy for me.(Psalm 38:3-4)
Working with teens, I am reminded of what I thought of God in my youth. Not that I have figured Him out now that I am older, in fact I might be more befuddled, but I was still a clueless teen. Youth does that. It’s a weird mix of ambition and ignorance. One of the constant battles I had growing up was not so much about His existence, while this is what I struggle with most now it was of little thought to me then, and more related to where I stood before Him. I mean, how could anyone know for sure they were “saved”? As a teen and young adult, I sinned like it was my job. I can only imagine the difficulty of youth today attempting to follow Christ in the age of free internet and Snapchat. (Side note, if you have a teen, consider having an internet filter on their devices. The increase of porn consumption in youth are at epidemic levels in both boys and girls.)
The calling card of a believer in Christ is outlined here in Psalm 38. A follower simply feels convicted when they live contrary to Christ. Though not perfectly executed, there is a desire to meet His demands because it is known how much better His way is. Sin should bother us. We should not have peace until we have flooded our darkness with the revealing light of repentance. All too often we are bothered by the sin of others yet gently excuse the deeper sin within us – a sin of passivity and judgment. As we age, this unfortunately decreases in us. The tendency is to not be so violently active against sin – even the “little” ones. All of this, believe it or not, is the offspring of grace for judgment is it’s precursor. It is the authentic saint who freely acknowledges their guilt but then follows it up with the undeserved grace purchased for us in bulk at Calvary.
Today, in your walk toward something greater, are you settling? Are you excusing what needs so desperately to be dealt with? May the God of both conviction and grace find you today. Peace starts in the shadows.
Matt simon blog 